G'day,

I noticed a story today about the retirement of the U.S. Navy's T-2
Buckeye trainers which I've long admired as an aircraft that "just looks
right".

The article...

http://www.aero-news.net/index.cfm?contentBlockId=867de943-9860-428f-b778-bd4881...

...talks about about the aircraft's age:

"Last week, a T-2 Buckeye made its last student training flight from
Naval Air Station Pensacola, before the type was retired from service
after close to 50 years."

...and goes on to say:

"The Buckeye will be replaced with the T-45 Goshawk... which sports far
more advanced avionics, and flying dynamics that more closely mimic the
F/A-18s Navy aviators fly in active duty."

Out of interest I thought I'd read up about on these "new" T-45s and I
found on Boeing's website:

http://www.boeing.com/history/mdc/goshawk.htm

"In 1978, McDonnell Douglas and British Aerospace developed the T-45A
Goshawk, a carrier-suitable version of the British Aerospace Hawk."

The Goshawk is already 30 years old!!!

Now I don't have anything against "old" aircraft; if I were a rich man
I'd be rescuing one of those Buckeye's from the boneyard for my personal
toy. But I think it's interesting to note that the Buckeye is being
replaced by a Hawk-derivative at a time when BAE is finding it
increasingly difficult to sell the Hawk due to its obsolescence.

http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2008/07/24/225791/singapore-elimintes-hawk-from...

http://www.ainonline.com/news/single-news-page/article/bae-hawk-marketing-refocused.../